Sentry Duty
by NaturallyDark
Summary: Diglett is fed up with being yelled at by Loudred every time he has trouble identifying a footprint during sentry duty, but what happens when they swap roles? LoudredXDiglett, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon one-shot.


**Hiya! Here's my first-ever Pokémon Mystery Dungeon shipping story about the often-overlooked DiglettXLoudred pairing. I plan on doing many more of these, since the site seems to be lacking in those, so feel free to suggest pairings I should cover and I'll try to get to all of them! Just so you know, none of these will be related to my ongoing story, Embers of the Past, and they'll all likely be oneshots.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"For FUCK'S sake, WHO is it, Diglett?!"

Diglett squinted up at the grate above him, mumbling curses under his breath. Sometimes he hated being the sentry. No, it wasn't that it was a boring task or anything of the sort. He enjoyed spending the whole day watching Pokémon come and go and identifying their footprints. It had evolved for him beyond a game over the years; now, he prided himself in being able to identify every footprint.

Well, not every footprint. But he got almost all of them right, and being able to go a whole day without one mistake was just to reaffirm his abilities. It would be any thinking person's train of thought that if he had a very high success rate at this job, day after day, a small error would go practically unnoticed.

Unfortunately, Loudred wasn't always a thinking person.

"Come ON, you dirt-eating fucktard, you can do MUCH better than THIS!" sounded Loudred's abnormally loud voice from somewhere below Diglett.

_Alright, Diglett, just remember, _Diglett encouraged himself, frowning at the faintly outlined dot above him._ Well, the footprint doesn't look like it belongs to a bad Pokémon, but it's just round. It looks like it's either Turtwig or Purrloin, but those two's footprints look exactly alike! Think of how the legs would be –_

"Even BIDOOF could do better!" Loudred's voice interrupted Diglett's train of thought and he tightly shut his eyes, trying to resist the urge to yell back at him.

"Just hold on for a sec!" Diglett called out, hoping he didn't sound as agitated as he felt. "It's either Turtwig or Purrloin, so – "

"That's a FAIRLY large species difference! Honestly, are you RETARDED or something?!"

Deep, calm breaths, Diglett. Push away your murderous thoughts. That's right; nobody's going to die today.

"Um, Purrloin or Turtwig, whatever you are, you don't appear to be on the wanted list, so go on in," Diglett said to the Pokémon on the grate. If either of those Pokémon were on the outlaw notice board that it was Loudred's duty to check, he would cut the crap and shut the gate in their face.

"I'm a Kirlia," corrected said Pokémon, then continued in. Diglett let out a deep breath, then braced himself for more of Loudred's yelling.

"Look at THAT, shit-for-brains! You can't even TELL the difference between a reptile, a cat, and a humanlike Pokémon?"

"Their feet look just round from below – " Diglett tried to explain, but was cut off again.

"If I were the one doing your no-brain JOB, I'd have NO problem WHATSOEVER determining the difference between those three VERY different Pokémon! How STUPID do you have to BE to get it so BADLY wrong?!"

Shaking with rage, Diglett exploded, "I've HAD it! Y'know what? If you think this is so easy, why don't you come and take over for a day? I dare you! I bet you won't even last an hour!"

That silenced Loudred for a while before he yelled back, "Yeah, I think I'll do JUST THAT! I'll show you how EASY it is to tell the difference between Shaymin and a potato!" Diglett watched as Loudred clambered over to the lookout area and took his place under the grate. "You get to STAND around all day, just looking at a list of WANTED Pokémon, while I'LL do all the WORK! Now GET!"

Scowling, Diglett dug underground and travelled over to where Loudred usually was stationed by the entrance to the tunnel. Although he felt a bit of pride at the victory over Loudred – or rather, what would soon be a victory, he hoped – there was a grey cloud hanging over his head. He really didn't hate Loudred, or even dislike him – heck, he could go so far as to say that he even admired the guy at times – and it stung him like an angry Beedrill when Loudred yelled at him for screwing up like this.

_No, I don't care, _he told himself fiercely_. I'm a Diglett, a species more hidden and determined than Mew, and I don't need to let a single Loudred drag me down. I don't care. I can't care._

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" It was odd to hear his own line being yelled up at him, but Diglett nevertheless responded.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is Raticate's! The footprint is Raticate's!"

_Wow, that was fast! Maybe Loudred isn't as bad at this as I thought –_

"No, it's me, Swellow!" the visiting Pokémon chirped in protest. "Can't you even recognize me by now?"

"Come on in, Swellow!" Diglett yelled, holding back a laugh. Of course Loudred was going to fail this job completely. He probably hadn't spent a minute under the grate before today.

There was a short pause before Loudred insisted, "Their footprints look really similar, I'm certain."

"Yeah, real similar," Diglett replied, finally chuckling.

"Sh-shut UP! This is the FIRST time I'm doing this! Besides, that was just a WARM-up! From now ON, I'm getting ALL of them right!"

It was still the morning, so work was very slow. Later in the day, when the clients of teams came to the guild to give them their rewards, there were far more Pokémon to identify. By that time, Diglett guessed that Loudred would have had more than enough of this job and they would switch back. However, there were still a few Pokémon to go before then, which meant there was still potential for fun.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The, um, footprint is, uh, Machoke's? The footprint is Machoke's?"

"Dude, no way! Can't you tell a Nuzleaf when you see one? Dude, you're like, totally drunk or something!"

Snickering, Diglett checked the outlaw notice board. Several bolder entries stood out, such as Infernape and a gang of Voltorbs led by an Electrode, but there were many outlaws on the list. After checking the list over, Diglett called up, "You can enter, Nuzleaf!"

"Thanks, dude!" Then there was another awkward pause where Diglett felt like he should say something but that Loudred should first.

Eventually, Loudred mumbled, "Really, how was I supposed to TELL between those two? They're practically the SAME!"

It was nice to just be silent and let Loudred feel bad.

A few more Pokémon entered, including Team Poochy, whose members each had their footprints incorrectly identified despite all three being a Poochyena. Chimecho came downstairs with a psychically levitating tray of food in the late afternoon and nearly dropped it in surprise when she saw Diglett standing by the hole instead of Loudred.

"Swapping places for the day, are we?" she asked, laughing a tinkly laugh.

"Yep. It's gotta be the most entertaining thing I've ever done," he replied. "Should I take the food down to Loudred?"

"Yes, if it isn't too much trouble for you." Chimecho sent the tray gently down on Diglett's head, where he balanced it carefully before tunnelling down the side of the tunnel. It was difficult getting around with a tray balanced on his head, but he was practiced when it came to balancing things on his head. He made his way over to Loudred and set down the tray before him.

"Chimecho brought us lunch," he explained cheerfully. "I've gotta say, your job is really simple! Man, I'd be okay with it if we stayed swapped forever!"

"Yeah, whatever," grumbled Loudred, grabbing an apple off the tray and biting into it angrily.

"Oh oh? What's this?" Diglett smugly travelled around Loudred in a circle, enjoying the fact that he could gloat like this. "Is it too hard for you? Don't tell me that you want to go back to your _old_ job!"

"As IF! I'll PROVE to you that this is a simple task, you little DIRT-eater!" Diglett's only response to that was an eye roll and he took a bite of an apple.

At least, he tried to. One of the most dismaying things about being a Diglett was that he had to keep the rest of his body hidden at all times, so he was unable to use his limbs to pick up food. Due to the massive apple tree forest, round, easy-to-get-rolling apples were the staple food in the entire region and the main part of any meal Chimecho served for lunch. Now, he tried in vain to stop the apple from rolling about long enough to take a bite.

Since he usually ate alone here, he could corner his apple against a wall, but now Loudred was watching him flail about like a tiny maniac. Diglett felt his face becoming red and the more embarrassed he was, the harder it was to be coordinated enough to catch the apple.

Suddenly, Loudred reached forwards and grabbed the apple, then said, "Am I ever glad I'M not a Diglett! That must SUCK!"

"You're just...shut up!" Diglett yelled, moving angrily towards Loudred. "Why are you always insulting me?!"

Smiling lightly, the purple Pokémon held the apple out to Diglett's face, stunning him for a moment. "Don't take it personally, Diglett. I wouldn't INSULT you!"

"What are you doing with that apple, then?" Diglett asked.

"I'm holding it still for you, RETARD," replied Loudred, then laughed at the irony. "Okay, maybe I DO insult you, but I don't mean it, okay?"

Giving Loudred a grateful smile, Diglett took a bite from the apple while his partner held it out for him.

_I guess he isn't such a bad guy, _Diglett realized, warmth spreading over his face_. He just doesn't show his good side all the time._

"HEY, what are YOU blushing at? It's only an apple." Diglett only reddened more at Loudred's statement and retreated a little into his hole in embarrassment, mumbling a quiet 'sorry.' Shortly after they finished lunch – that is, Diglett lost his appetite and Loudred finished off the apple for him – they resumed at their stations, with Loudred under the grate and Diglett outside.

"Meh-heh-heh... Diglett, you know how he feels about you, don't you?"

Diglett turned with a start to the silky voice that spoke. "Oh, it's just you, Croagunk. And what are you talking about?"

Croagunk sat by the hole beside a bubbling cauldron that he called his 'swap cauldron.' Despite seeming a bit creepy and unsettling at times, he practically blended into the scenery and went unnoticed. In fact, Diglett hadn't even realized he was there all morning – or rather, he'd forgotten. Everybody _knew_ that he stayed there all day, every day.

"Loudred seems to have a 'thing' for you, kiddo," Croagunk replied with a slimy smile.

"Wh-what?! No way!" Shaking his head, Diglett went on, "He yells at me whenever I screw up even just a little bit and he's always mocking me! You don't have to spend every day with him practically breathing down your neck!"

"Meh-heh-heh... That's only because I am the one breathing down his neck. I am here at my swap cauldron every day, and he is always standing where you stand. It is only natural that we strike up conversation from time to time." He beckoned for Diglett to come closer, who hesitated a moment before doing so. "In actuality, Loudred thinks you're brilliant. He won't stop telling me how you hardly ever get a footprint wrong and that you're always patient with him even when he messes up. He seems to envy how good at the latter you are."

_That...that can't be! Loudred, like me? I guess I've just never thought about that before. And to think I was being rude to him at lunch! I should go apologize –_

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

Coming back over to the hole, Diglett yelled back, "Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" Guiltily, he wondered how badly Loudred would screw up this time.

"The footprint is Vigoroth's! The footprint is Vigoroth's!"

A moment passed, likely a moment that Loudred took to quietly ask the visitor if he was correct, then Loudred yelled again, "Hey, Diglett! I actually got it RIGHT! See, I TOLD you I could DO this!"

"Good job, Loudred!" Diglett replied, feeling a little cheerful for his partner. He checked the outlaw notice board, then called down, "Okay, he's good to go!" Then he tunnelled down to apologize to Loudred properly. The Pokémon looked elated, but when he spotted Diglett, he quickly folded his arms and looked smug.

"No PROBLEM! Maybe we can SWITCH again sometime, if it gets too HARD for you!"

"As if!" Diglett laughed, smiling. He suddenly forgot what he had come down here to do. Was he rude to Loudred earlier or something? It didn't really matter. He felt an odd sort of happiness just being with him down here.

_Forget about if Loudred likes me – do I like _him_?! Now that I think about it, maybe I've always sort of had a crush on him, but since I never thought of it..._

"Um, there's something I wanted to ask you," Diglett said, turning his head away slightly.

"Shoot."

"Ummm...I was wondering...do you – "

He never got to finish his sentence, for a screech from above pierced the calm and Diglett left through the ground with no hesitation to investigate. When he popped up on the first underground floor, he was shocked with the sight of an Infernape blasting Sunflora and nearly everything else in the room with burning flames.

_But we never let in an Infernape! Where did this guy come from?!_

Diglett was still too stunned to move when Loudred clambered up the ladder from below in panic.

"What's going ON in here?!" he yelled, redirecting Infernape's attention to him.

"So you're the idiot that mistook me for a Vigoroth!" laughed Infernape, putting his hands on his hips. "Who would have thunk that the great Wigglytuff Guild doesn't even have decent enough security to keep out outlaws?"

"Oh my gosh!" squealed Sunflora, fanning her arms at the Fire Spin that trapped her. "Loudred, you idiot! Leave the job of footprints to Diglett! Look what you've gotten us into!"

For Infernape to have chosen that time was a disaster; for the guild, at least. Most of the guild was out on job assignments, Chatot had gone out to collect perfect apples, and Wigglytuff was asleep downstairs. The only ones left to defend the guild were Diglett, Loudred, Sunflora – well, maybe not Sunflora – and Croagunk. And if Diglett remembered correctly from that outlaw notice, Infernape was an A rank outlaw; not an easy to beat foe.

"You idiot, indeed!" Infernape charged Loudred and punched him so hard that he fell against the wall and didn't get up.

"Loudred!" wailed Diglett, then felt fury pumping through his body. He dug underground, then, following the vibrations of Infernape's footsteps through the ground, burst up forcefully from under his feet. Infernape stumbled away, then made a fist and punched towards him. Vanishing under the floor again, much to Infernape's fury by the sound of his wail of pain as he punched the ground, he reappeared behind the monkey Pokémon and used Earthquake. The power of the attack knocked Infernape off his feet, where Diglett could hit him directly with another Dig attack. After that, the outlaw was knocked unconscious.

Diglett sighed, relaxing now that the danger had passed, then made his way over to Loudred, who was just stumbling to his feet.

"Loudred, are you alright?" Diglett asked worriedly, observing him for injuries.

"I'm FINE," Loudred replied, then added, "That was AMAZING! I didn't know YOU were so POWERFUL!"

Blushing under the praise, Diglett told him, "Could you go fetch Officer Magnezone? Hopefully, he gets here before Infernape awakens." Loudred's smile faded but he obliged, climbing up the ladder quickly to get the officer.

Later that day, when the last apprentice entered the guild and Loudred closed the gates to any more visitors, the two sat under the grate silently, both not daring to speak first. From beneath the interwoven sticks, they could both see the stars beginning to come out in the dusky sky. Soon, they would be called to dinner and that would be it.

"I guess I should apologize for being so COCKY earlier today," Loudred finally sighed, staring straight up. "You really ARE the best at your job. It can't be easy having to pick out which Pokémon is which."

Diglett looked at him in surprise, then also turned to watch the stars. "It's okay, Loudred. Even I get mad at myself when I can't identify a footprint."

"But that's the THING!" Loudred faced Diglett, looking ashamed. "I get mad at YOU all the time, but even though I did nothing BUT screw up, you still HAVEN'T gotten mad at ME! If you're upset with me, just YELL at me, okay? I deserve it!"

Smiling, Diglett shook his head. "Why would I be mad at you? If you're not good at identifying footprints, I can't expect too much from you. And besides," he added when Loudred looked crestfallen, "what you're good at is going to the outlaw notice board quickly. I can't do that."

"What a thing to be praised for," Loudred sighed, shaking his head. "No, I can't do ANYTHING that someone else can't do better. I'm half-decent when it comes to missions, I'm not OVERLY strong – I mean, look at YOU! You fought that powerful criminal on your own! You could go on missions all the time! In fact, why don't you?"

Diglett paused, uncertain of the answer at first, then replied, "I guess it's because nobody else will do this job. I used to want to go on assignments after I was saved by a rescue team, but I've fallen into the role of sentry. I guess it's my duty to the guild. After all, the guild always must come first." Then, a thought came to him and he began to feel curious. "What about you? Why do you always do this job rather than something else?"

"I..." Loudred turned his head away but Diglett could see his face becoming red. "I do it...because you're here." At Diglett's shocked expression, he continued, "This isn't the GREATEST job in the world, I've gotta admit, but it's less unpleasant when I can talk to you. You're always so patient with me, and I enjoy being around you – " He broke off, looking extremely embarrassed. "There I GO with my big MOUTH again," he mumbled, blushing madly. "Just IGNORE what I just said, okay?"

Diglett's jaw dropped, then he just nodded, composing himself on the outside. On the inside, his mind was racing and he could feel his pulse in his ears. Without realizing it, he began to move sideways towards Loudred until his head was resting against him.

"What are you – ?!" Loudred cut himself off halfway, then awkwardly reached a hand out to place it on Diglett's head.

For a few minutes, they remained that way, both watching through the grate as the sky darkened further into a coal-black shade. They nearly missed the dinner bell; Chimecho had to come right up to the the hole that lead down for them to hear her. The two sat at their usual places at the dinner table and went to their respective sleeping quarters without more than a quick 'good night.'

Morning arrived, and right after the morning address, Diglett dug his way over to the hole to wait for Loudred.

"Ready for another day of sentry duty?" Diglett asked cheerfully, giving him a hopeful smile. Loudred looked uncertain for a moment, then smiled back.

"YEP! Back to WORK, as USUAL!" But, however faint it might have been, Diglett could see that Loudred was blushing just a little bit. It may have been back to work as usual, but something had definitely changed between them.

_Perhaps this is the start of something greater..._


End file.
